Iron, coarse octahedrite – IAB-MG Gran Chaco, Argentina (27°28' S, 60°35' W)

Details

CAMPO DEL CIELO METEORITE
Iron, coarse octahedrite – IAB-MG
Gran Chaco, Argentina (27°28' S, 60°35' W)
The smooth, highly textured surface is enveloped in a bright chrome patina with charcoal accents. Accompanied by a custom armature and pedestal, this is a superior example.
139 x 109 x 68mm (5½ x 4¼ x 2½in.)
2.54kg (5.6lbs)

Literature

Cassidy, W.A., et al. (1965), “Meteorites and Craters of Campo del Cielo, Argentina.” Science, 149(3688), 1055-1064.

Special notice

These lots have been imported from outside the EU for sale using a Temporary Import regime. Import VAT is payable (at 5%) on the Hammer price. VAT is also payable (at 20%) on the buyer’s Premium on a VAT inclusive basis. When a buyer of such a lot has registered an EU address but wishes to export the lot or complete the import into another EU country, he must advise Christie's immediately after the auction.

Lot Essay

Campo del Cielo meteorites were first written about by Spanish explorers in 1576, nearly 4,000 years after their collision with Earth and far before their unearthly origins were understood. A Campo was the first large meteorite ever displayed at the British Museum of Natural History, and several large Campo del Cielo (“Valley of the Sky”) masses are today found in the finest museums in the world. Fortuitously, a previously unknown portion of the Campo strewnfield (the area in which a meteorite shower is "strewn" across the Earth's surface) was discovered several years ago. Located at a higher elevation than the valley where the majority of Campos fell, the meteorites from this region were less susceptible to incursions of ground water and, as a result, exhibit more dynamic sculptural forms. In this instance, the meteorite’s shape evokes “Deep Thought,” the supercomputer that explained the universe in Douglas Adam’s Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.

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